FG begins feeding of 5.5m pupils in September

The Federal Government, yesterday, said it would commence its National Home Grown School Feeding Programme with 5.5 million pupils across the country  by September .

The National Programme Manager, Mrs Abimbola Adesanmi, disclosed this in Abeokuta during the opening of a two-day stakeholders' workshop on the Ogun State Home Grown School Feeding Programme.

Adesanmi explained that the government has resolved to start the programme will accommodate pupils in Primary 1 to 3 at the outset, and would move to other classes as the nation's resources improved.

She, however, explained that all the states of the federation, depending on their preparedness, would benefit from the social intervention programme.

The state governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, said about 200,000 in Primary 1 to 3 in 1,154 public primary schools in the state would benefit from the initiative.

He added that over 3, 000 women, widows and jobless drawn from across the 236 wards in the state would be empowered serving as food vendors.

He said, 'It's a well-thought out programme because the unemployed would be engaged. All the value chains of the agricultural sector would be involved; poultry producers will sell; the meat sellers will sell their produce and the agriculture sector will generally get a boost.

'Agricultural produce that often gets spoilt would now be mopped up and more money will come into the purse of the average farmer.'